Moscow: Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya is planning to seek refuge in Europe. She left the Belarusian contingent Monday after accusing team officials of trying to force her to leave the Tokyo Games early. Krystsina Tsimanouskaya said Tuesday that officials from Belarus ‘made it clear’ she would face punishment if she returned home.
Tsimanouskaya had criticised the management of her team on social media. She also said officials hustled her to the airport and tried to put her on a plane back to Belarus, where the autocratic government has relentlessly stifled dissent and any criticism. She said she hopes to continue her career, but for now her safety remains a priority.
In the dramatic standoff, several countries have offered Tsimanouskaya help. Poland granted her a humanitarian visa Monday. She plans to fly to Warsaw later in the week, according to an activist group that is helping her.
“They made it clear that upon return home I would definitely face some form of punishment,” the 24-year-old sprinter said in a video interview with a couple of mediapersons. “There were also thinly disguised hints that the level of punishment would be more and could also be career-threatening,” she added.
Tsimanouskaya informed that she believed she would be kicked off of the national team. She hopes to be able to continue running once she manages to find a safe location. “For now I just want to safely arrive in Europe… Meet with people who have been helping me and make a decision what to do next,” Tsimanouskaya said. “I would very much like to continue my sporting career. I’m just 24 and I have plans for two more Olympics at least. For now, the only thing that concerns me is my safety,” the sprinter signed off.
The standoff began after Tsimanouskaya’s criticism of how officials were managing the team. It set off a massive backlash in state-run media back home. The runner said on her Instagram account that she was put in the 4x400m relay even though she has never raced in the event. She was then barred from competing in the 200 metres.
Earlier in the day, Tsimanouskaya called for an investigation and ‘possibly taking sanctions against the head coach who approached me and who deprived me of the right to compete in the Olympic Games’. She said she wanted international sports authorities ‘to investigate the situation, who gave the order, who actually took the decision that I can’t compete anymore’.
Belarus’ authoritarian government has relentlessly targeted anyone even mildly expressing dissent since a presidential election a year ago triggered a wave of unprecedented mass protests. And it has also gone to extremes to stop its critics, including recently diverting a plane to the capital of Minsk and arresting a dissident journalist aboard.